Alexandra
by LokiForPrez2016
Summary: Alexandra is a simple girl thrust into the world of S.H.I.E.L.D, Asgard, and powers she can't control. When she's kidnapped by Loki, will she be able to hone her abilities or will her time alone with him only make matters worse? Takes place between Avengers and Thor: The Dark World. Rated M just in case...
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

On a Friday afternoon, a small young girl rode the bus home from school alone in the front of the bus, her long, brown hair whishing in the autumn wind coming through the open window. She hummed a tune as she watched the farms pass outside, ignoring the taunts from the girls behind her.

"Seriously, you are so weird!" She was not fazed by the abuse and continued on with her humming. Just a normal part of the day for her.

She arrived at her home shortly after and found the large house empty as usual. She slung her backpack over a kitchen chair, retrieved a box of macaroni and cheese from the pantry, and began cooking.

The pot of water and noodles boiled on the stove as she strode into the bathroom. She stared at her mousy appearance in the mirror for a moment before putting her hair into a messy ponytail. She stared once more at herself. Something was different today. Her skin had more of a glow to it than normal. 

A knock on her front door startled her out of her trance, and she ran to look through the window to the side of the door. A man with spikey brown hair and odd facial hair stood at the door with a tall blond woman. The two adults noticed the curtain move as the girl observed them.

She opened the door and greeted them, "Hi, how can I help you." Her southern twang wavered under her shyness.

"Hey, kiddo. I'm Tony. I work with your Dad when he comes to New York." Alexandra scoffed at the word "kiddo" as she was clearly not a child, but the man seemed friendly enough and oddly familiar. "This is Pepper Potts." The woman smiled. The girl smiled back hesitantly.

"My dad is in San Diego right now on business and my mom should be home any minute now," she lied about her mother, knowing she wouldn't be home from her retail job for quite some time.

"Good!" exclaimed Tony. "I was actually looking to speak with her anyway." The girl seemed confused.

"So you work with my dad, but you want to talk to my mom."

"Boy, you sure a smart girl," Tony mocked her with a fake southern accent. The girl rolled her eyes. "I like your spunk," Tony continued.

"Well, I can't let you in so you'll just have to wait on the porch for her."

"Okay, fine," Tony replied. "We'll wait." They turned away from the door and stared out into the farmland in front of them. Tony sat down on the porch steps while Pepper stood tall in her black heels. The girl shut the door and called her mother's work.

"Hey, Mom," she greeted her as her mother answered the store phone. "There's some people at the door who want to talk to you. The guy says he works with Dad in New York, and they won't leave the porch." Her mother returned only silence for a moment.

"Alright I'll be home in about thirty minutes. I reckon I know what they want to talk about." And with that, her mother hung up the phone leaving her daughter confused.

She ran to the kitchen as she heard the pot of water boiling over onto the burner. She finished making her lunch while in deep thought. Why was her mom suddenly coming home from work almost five hours early? Who are these people on her porch? Why do they seem so familiar? Why didn't they call before they arrived? _How rude _she thought, _but they're from New York. Everyone's rude there. _She gave them the benefit of the doubt considering perhaps they simply lacked some southern hospitality.

But she didn't lack of drop of southern hospitality, and went back to the porch.

"Hey, are y'all hungry? I made some mac and cheese if y'all want some." Pepper smiled at her.

"No, thank you," Pepper responded.

"Yeah, I'll take some," Tony answered. "Thanks, Al," Tony said as he took a bite.

She stopped suddenly at the sound of her nickname.

"How do you know my name?"

"You're dad talks about you a lot." She considered this a moment, realized it made sense, and sat down on the floor by the door to eat her mac and cheese.

Her mother arrived home from work exactly thirty minutes later, pulling sharply into the driveway and causing the tires to squeal as she brought the car to a sudden stop. She flung the car door open and marched up to the porch.

"What are you doing here," she asked Tony and Pepper. The girl was surprised to hear her mother greet people so indecently. Before either of them could answer, her mother continued, "You think you can just hop a jet and come hang out on my porch? You people have no manners. A little warning would have been great!" She yelled the last word.

"Look, Sarah," Tony began. The girl was surprised to hear that they really did know each other. "We just want to talk about Alexandra." The girl became nauseated at the sound of her name.

"It's just 'Alex'," she hollered through the open window. She regretted it instantly as she realized she brought attention to herself. Her mother opened the front door.

"Go upstairs, please," she ordered. Sarah had never been the type of mom to order her children around. Alexandra obliged and left the foyer, but she didn't go to her room. She rounded the corner at the top of the steps and sat in the hallway, hoping to hear more of the conversation apparently about her.

Sarah returned to the porch, closing the door behind her, but the window was still open. Alexandra struggled to hear the rest of the conversation from farther away.

"I know she's getting older," she heard her mother say, "but I don't want her taken from me like Kate." Alexandra stiffened at the possibility that these people were going to take her away from her beloved mother, her best friend. She listened more intently.

"Kate is coming home soon," Pepper assured Sarah. "She's doing great in training and she's ready for a home visit." Silence.

Alexandra had fleeting memories of her older sister, Kate. Tall and lean with wavy brown hair lighter than her own. Kate was always quieter, but wittier. You had to really pay attention to what Kate said or you would miss comedy gold. She also had a knack for insults. She could insult you without you even knowing it. Hours later you would be happily remembering the conversation and realize she called you stupid. Kate left for college three years ago, at least that's what Alex thought. Kate hadn't been home since then.

"You people just think you can come and take my children away from me," Sarah continued, pulling Alexandra out of her flashback. "S.H.I.E.L.D has done nothing but hurt my family."

Alexandra recognized the word "S.H.I.E.L.D" and thought back to where she had first heard it. Her father was on the phone in his office speaking quietly to someone on the other end.

"Listen, I don't need any trouble," her father pleaded. "I'm just trying to raise my girls and I don't need any help from your so-called S.H.I.E.L.D. You people are trouble." He slammed the phone down on his desk and put his head in his hands. Less than two weeks later, Kate was gone. Alexandra started to panic as she put puzzle pieces together in her mind.

And then sudden realization. Tony Stark. He's Tony Stark. Iron Man. She ran through news casts in her mind, remembering the horrible images she saw from the Battle of New York. Tony, or Iron Man, had saved Manhattan, but so many people died at the hands of someone not from this world. She recalled the others, the Avengers.

"You're not taking both of them," she heard her mother say. Sarah sounded like she was crying.

"Don't think about it like we're taking them from you," Pepper replied. "We're training them to be the best they can be and control their gifts." More silence.

Tony added, "We're also giving them some seriously kickass combat skills while we're at it."

This comment threw Sarah into a rage. "I don't want my girls in fights! I don't want them hurt or killed! Lonely and away from home!"

Tony cut her off. "Kate's not lonely at all." Sarah stopped. "She loves it."

Alexandra had had enough. She sailed down the steps and flung the door open.

"Okay, what's going on," she asked, glancing wide-eyed from her mother to Tony to Pepper and back. Her mother sighed.

"Let's go inside," Sarah finally said, ushering everyone into the living room. Alexandra plopped down on the couch next to her mother and Tony similarly plopped down into an arm chair. Pepper gracefully placed herself onto the love seat.

"Okay, where do I begin?" Sarah asked herself.

"How about you start at the part where all of you have special powers?" Tony suggested sarcastically.

Alexandra laughed at him but saw despair in her mother's eyes when she looked back.

"Alright, so our family is a little different," Sarah began. "The women in our family, that is."


	2. Chapter 2: The Explanation

**So this is my first fanfic so bare with me. Please review. I definitely want to get better at this.**

Alexandra listened intently as her mother detailed the past 100 years of her family. Each woman in the family line beginning with Alexandra's great-great-grandmother possessed some kind of skill that set her apart from other normal people. Great-great-grandma could read minds. Great-grandma was telekinetic. Grandma could see the future. And Mom. Mom could talk to the dead.

Alexandra couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was she dreaming? How could she have gone this long without knowing this information? How could she not have noticed?

"So what about me and Kate?" Alexandra finally asked.

"Your sister can read people's auras," Sarah answered. Alexandra looked perplexed. "It means she sees a color around each person she meets. Each color represents their personality. Basically, Kate can know a person inside and out before she even meets them."

Alexandra sat still, contemplating all the information she was receiving. "And what about me?" she finally asked.

"Well, that's the thing," Tony finally spoke up. "You don't know what your power is until you get it. From what we've seen over at good old S.H.I.E.L.D, you ladies get your little gifts around the age of 18. So you have, what, like three months to go, right?"

Alexandra nodded slowly. "Mom, I'm scared."

"I know," was all Sarah could muster before she wrapped Alexandra in her arms. Silence engulfed the room for a few minutes.

"S.H.I.E.L.D hasn't been around for too long so we didn't get a chance to work with the other ladies in your family, but when your dad first let it slip that your mom was seeing dead people, I knew something was up," Tony explained.

"And of course Tony being Tony, he can't keep a secret for longer than an hour," Pepper said. "So he told Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Nick thought your family could be interesting to observe." Pepper looked at Tony with a disapproving look. Tony simply shrugged as if none of the situation was his fault. Alexandra picked up on their relationship, but also felt that Pepper was unhappy with the current situation that Tony caused.

"So anyway, we were too late to get to all your grandmas," Tony continued. "Ya know, with them being old and all, it just wasn't going to work over at S.H.I.E.L.D. But we got in touch with Mama Bear here," he motioned to Sarah, "and worked with her for a little bit until you and Kate got older."

"I decided that you and Kate were more important than being some kind of spy," Sarah clarified.

"Okay, so what's the point of all this?" Alexandra was still unsure if she believed everything she was hearing. Her family had been so normal for so long. How could she have missed it?

"The point is," Tony answered, "that S.H.I.E.L.D is a really kickass group that can be kind of annoying sometimes but we keep an eye on people like you and your family and others like you guys. We want you to join us."

"There's others like us." Alexandra stated. It wasn't a question. She had known since the Battle of New York that there were people out there who were different. She just never knew she was one of them. "So what now?"

"Now you go with us to S.H.I.E.L.D," answered Tony. Alexandra instantly stiffened.

"No."

"Uh, yeah," Tony replied.

"Uh, no." Alexandra felt as if she was arguing with someone her own age rather than an adult.

"Alex, maybe you should go for a little while," said Sarah. Alexandra looked shocked. Her mother was just advocating for her to stay home, and now she was trying to send her away. Sarah saw the shock in Alexandra's eyes. "Just until you get your gift and we see what it is."

Alexandra was scared. All she had ever known in life was her small town, her family, her home. Her mother seemed fully prepared to ship her off to some unknown destination with people she had never met. She didn't like it.

But she trusted her mother.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Not long at all," Sarah replied. "Definitely not as long as Kate."

Alexandra considered it. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"You don't have much of a choice, kiddo," Tony replied. Alexandra was instantly angry at him. She didn't like not being in control of her own choices. But she was tired and overwhelmed. Rather than fighting back, she simply burst into tears and ran to her room like a child.


	3. Chapter 3: The Fall

She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling of her room on the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier. It had been about a month since she left her home in rural Virginia to start training with S.H.I.E.L.D. Her education in normal things such as math and reading continued, and she was doing well. Her training in hand-to-hand combat was not going as smoothly.

Alexandra had never been a violent person. Actually, she was quite the opposite. She often struggled to watch the news because it was mostly about people hurting other people. She could never watch movies or TV with violence either. It saddened her immensely that there were people in the world that hurt others, take advantage of people, or kill. She just couldn't understand it.

So she would usually just go through the motions in her required self-defense and combat courses, never really taking them seriously. Her instructors were frustrated with her. Alexandra kept replaying footage in her mind of the Battle of New York. She wanted nothing to do with fighting anyone or anything. She just wanted to be Alex. Seventeen years old, shy, normal Alex with no friends. Just family. But now that was gone, too.

Alexandra learned on the first day there that Kate was not on the same helicarrier. Alexandra was disappointed, but she had grown accustomed to the absence of her sister. She spent most of her days on the helicarrier not speaking to anyone, just wandering around, or lying in bed. Since arriving, she hadn't seen Tony either.

She liked Tony even though he was the one who came to take her away. He was witty and sarcastic and reminded her of Kate in that sense, though Kate was much quieter than Tony. Alexandra longed for a friend, anyone to talk to about the way she was feeling. Homesick. Sad. Betrayed by her mother. Angry at everyone.

Then she heard a siren wailing outside her room. She sat upright suddenly, becoming slightly dizzy. She waited for a moment to figure out what was happening in the hallway. Boots stomping down the hallway. Running. People were yelling something about defenses.

Then an explosion rocked the floating ship. Alexandra was knocked backwards into the wall. She heard screams from down the hallway, and without realizing what she was doing, she opened the door to her room and ran toward the screaming. _What are you doing?_ she asked herself. She battled with herself. She knew she should just find a hiding place and stay still until someone came to help, but she also knew people somewhere needed help.

She rounded a corner at full speed and was faced with a huge glass window. Alexandra found what she assumed was the bridge of the helicarrier. Computers were knocked to the ground, paper and wires everywhere. People were running every which way to escape. And then she saw the source of the explosion. One of the massive rotating propellers that kept the ship up in the sky had been blown clean off the ship. She realized suddenly that the ship was listing hard toward the left. It was going to fall out of the sky.

She stood frozen there, taking in the chaos around her. Something, or rather multiple somethings whizzed past the large window. People. Alexandra ran to another window around the corner and watched as six small aircraft carrying one person each began firing at the other propeller. She panicked and simply stood still.

"Hey! Hey, you! Kid!" Someone was yelling at her. Alexandra turned around to find one of her instructors running towards her. "Follow me!" he yelled over all the noise. She did as she was told, and they ran to find other students.

A sudden jolt sent the small group of teens flying to the right, hitting the wall hard. Then an explosion and the wall fell away from under them. Alexandra was falling. She watched as her fellow students fell away from the helicarrier. Screams filled the cool evening air. She quietly took in her situation, watching the sky above her, knowing the water below her would feel like hitting pavement and she would die. She rolled around so she was falling belly-first towards the ocean. As she approached the water, she reached her arms out in front of her and closed her eyes. She felt a huge gust of wind under her, taking her breath away, but she never felt the water. Then she was asleep.

"How did she survive the fall?"

"I don't know."

"Some doctor you are."

"It doesn't seem there's a scratch on her."

Alexandra could barely make out the voices around her.

"There has to be more to the story." Tony's voice. "I mean, kids don't just fall from 30,000 feet and survive."

"Have we tried to call her mother?" A rough voice talking about her mom brought her closer to consciousness.

"Mom," Alexandra mumbled. Silence. She felt eyes on her and decided to open her own eyes. She saw four men standing around her. The lights above her were blinding, giving her an instant headache as her eyes tried to adjust. _I'm not dead, _she thought to herself.

"Hey, the kid lives!" Tony exclaimed. "You've been out for a few days. Glad you're up. Now you can tell us what the hell happened."

Alexandra took a minute to regain her voice. "I don't know." The men stared at her. Then a dark realization. "The other kids. Are they okay?" Silence yet again, and saddened stares. They didn't make it.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The helicarrier was attacked," answered the man with the rough voice. Now she observed he had an eye patch.

"By who?" she asked.

"We're not sure, but I'm not certain they were from this world," the man with the eye patch answered.

"No, they weren't," a new man entered the room. His sheer size and booming voice took Alexandra's breath away. "The crafts they were flying are Asgardian."

"Asgard attacked us?" another man asked. This man had blond hair and eyes that made Alexandra dizzy. She recognized him from somewhere. She looked back at the large man, noticing his red cape. _Odd_, she thought to herself. Then she realized who these men were in her hospital room. _The Avengers._ She attempted to sit up straight, but she became quite dizzy and reclined back down.

"Cool it, kiddo," Tony ordered. "You're tired. Just chill."

"But don't fall asleep," the man with the eye patch added. "We need to know what happened on the helicarrier. You were the only survivor."

Alexandra couldn't breathe. She gasped for air and then tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why? How? Please, no." She cried, and some of the men left the room. "Tony, please stay," she asked.

Tony and the man with the eye patch stayed behind as Alexandra collected herself, devastated by the massive loss of life from the helicarrier.

"Alexandra, I'm Nick Fury. What happened?"

Alexandra told the story of what happened on the helicarrier. She described the people she saw flying by the large window. She described the wall falling out from under her. She described the gust of wind. That's all she remembered.

"Wind, huh?" Fury asked. Alexandra nodded.

"Weird shit," Tony added.

"Language," said a woman as she entered the room. "She's still a child, you know." Another familiar face, but Alexandra couldn't remember her name. The woman's red curls bounced as she strode across the room.

"I'm not a child," Alexandra mumbled.

"Director Fury, Thor wants to speak with you immediately before he leaves." Alexandra noted the woman's sultry voice.

Fury left the room, leaving only Tony and Alexandra.

"Tony, I want my mom."

"We're trying to find her," he replied.

Alexandra recovered quickly after sleeping most of the next few days. She was moved to her own room aboard yet another helicarrier, which made her quite nervous as she was not mentally prepared for falling out of another one. She spent days wandering around trying to find the missing piece to how she survived.

She wandered the halls one morning, looking for a quiet room to sit and think other than her own tiny living quarters. She opened a door into what she thought was an empty conference room, but found herself intruding on a meeting.

"Oh, sorry," she said and began to back out of the room, but Tony stopped her.

"Actually, perfect timing. Have a seat." She sat down next to him and took in the people around her. Fury was standing at the head of the table, and introduced each person. All of them smiled back at her. Steve Rogers gave a nod of his head as well. She felt as if she were in a room full of celebrities.

"So anyway," Fury continued. "What's going on on Asgard?"

Thor's thunderous voice replied, "It seems as though my brother has escaped his prison hold."

"That guy again," Steve mumbled under his breath and put his head down.

"You know, maybe he should have gotten a death sentence for the first two offenses," said Natasha.

Thor looked at her expressionless. "Have care how you speak, woman."

"Well, he's becoming quite the pain in the ass," said Clint.

"Um," Alexandra quietly interrupted. "Do I need to be here for this? I feel like I'm intruding on some pretty important business."

"Yes, we'll get to you in a minute," replied Fury. Alexandra's face blushed and she put her head down. The conversation about Thor's brother continued until finally they turned to her.

"So what do you think?" Tony asked her. All eyes were on her.

"About what?" She hadn't been listening for the past twenty minutes and suspected the subject had changed recently.

"About how you survived," Steve clarified.

"Oh. Uh. I don't know."

"What if we just push her out of the helicarrier and see if she can do it again," Tony said smiling, but Alexandra did not find it funny. She burst into tears at the thought. "Whoa, sorry."

"Alright, well we'll figure it out. The ship will be landing in the ocean soon," Fury explained. "We don't want a repeat of last week."

As expected, the ship settled into the water a few hours later. This felt more natural to Alexandra. Steve pulled her aside later that afternoon.

"Miss, I must say, I'm really interested in what happened," he began.

"Yeah, well I wish I knew," she replied.

"It will all come back to you." With that he left her in the hallway. She couldn't believe how attractive all these people were. It was as if having some kind of power also came with good looks. She smiled shyly. _Thank God_, she thought as she considered the thought. _Something good might actually come out of this._

Later that night, Alexandra dreamt of the helicarrier falling again. The dream took her right up to the point when she should have hit the water, but she sat bolt upright screaming before she hit it. Tony, coincidentally just passing by at the time, came running into the room.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, bad dream," she replied as she wiped sweat from her brow. "But I know how I survived."


	4. Chapter 4: Loki

A meeting was called first thing in the morning, and Alexandra was the only thing on the agenda. The conference room was a peaceful gray color as the morning was just breaking.

"Alright so tell them what you told me," Tony insisted.

"I saved myself." Blank stares.

"We sort of figured that, Miss," Steve replied. He always called her 'Miss' and she liked it. His old-timey manners reminded her of her southern home.

"Well, I mean," Alexandra stammered and struggled to find the best way to explain this. "I remember putting my hands out in front of me like this." She demonstrated. "And then I closed my eyes and felt the wind. But I think…I know I caused that wind."

More confused stares.

"How do you know?" Fury asked.

"When I dreamt about it last night, I felt weight against my arms," she explained. "As if I were pushing the air, or more pulling it towards me. Like you would move snow into a little hill."

"Her gift?" suggested Natasha.

"Most likely," replied Fury. He turned back to Alexandra. "Can you do it again if you tried?"

"Can I save myself if I fall? I don't know, but I'm not trying it," her reply slick with attitude.

"No, can you move the air like you did before?"

"I don't even know how to begin to try."

"Well, let's go outside."

Alexandra soon found herself on the deck of the helicarrier, admiring the endless ocean surrounding her. The others were behind her waiting for her to do something spectacular, but she just didn't feel spectacular. She turned around to face them.

"Like I said, I don't know what to do."

"Just try it," Dr. Banner suggested. Alexandra hesitated but put her arms in front of her. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Nothing. She waved her arms around in circles. Nothing.

"Well, if she's trying to fly, then maybe she might get somewhere," joked Tony. Alexandra gave up.

"Told you."

"I have an idea," Tony stated as he walked up to Alexandra. He put his arm on her shoulder, turned her around, and escorted her over to the edge of the helicarrier at which point he simply pushed her off of it suddenly.

Alexandra didn't even have time to scream. She let out a small yelp as she lost her footing and heard gasps behind her. The fall was much shorter than before but she instinctively thrust her arms in front of her and stopped inches above the water. She stared confused into the blue water below her, but didn't move, afraid she would fall in. The group above applauded her.

"Okay now try pushing the air like you said," Dr. Banner called down to her. Alexandra pushed her arms farther out in front of her, tensing her muscles and imagining the air was actually thick snow. She felt herself rising. She pushed herself all the way back up to the deck at which point Natasha grabbed her and placed her feet back on solid ground. Alexandra stood steady, still confused, but looked at Tony.

"See," he said. "You did it." Alexandra cocked back and punched Tony in the jaw.

"Are you fucking crazy?" she screamed at him.

"And you told ME to watch MY language," Tony joked looking at Natasha while rubbing his sore jaw.

"I could have died!" Alexandra continued.

"Yeah, but you didn't," Dr. Banner interrupted. "Perhaps you can levitate."

Alexandra calmed down before she spoke again, her blood boiling in anger at Tony. "It doesn't feel like my body is doing it though. It feels more like I'm controlling the air around my body."

"Well, maybe that's it," Dr. Banner agreed. "Maybe you can manipulate the air around you."

"Neato!" Steve exclaimed. Tony looked at him as if to say, "Really? 'Neato'?"

Alexandra spent the next few days with Dr. Banner, practicing her gift. She was getting frustrated however because it seemed she could only do it when her life depended on it. She and Dr. Banner were sitting in his lab taking a lunch break when Tony snuck up behind her.

"Hey!" He shouted as he tapped her on the shoulders, clearly trying to startle her. Reflexively her hands shot upwards and the water in her cup flew upwards as well, hitting the ceiling and splashing back down.

"What was that?" Tony asked, slightly spooked.

"Hmm," Dr. Banner replied. "Perhaps it's not just air you can manipulate."

The next few months went by smoothly. No more helicarrier attacks that she knew of. No more trouble. She practiced her gift each day with Dr. Banner and she was getting better. She found out a few weeks ago that she could control fire as well as water and air. Dr. Banner hypothesized that she could control earth, as in dirt and rocks, also, but seeing as they were on the helicarrier in the middle of the ocean, that hypothesis remained untested.

"Hey, Earth, Wind, and Fire," Tony greeted her in the hallway.

"What?" she replied.

"I was giving you a new nickname" She stared at him blankly. "Nevermind."

"Can't I just be 'Alex'? Everyone calls me by my full name and it's weird. I've always just been 'Alex'."

"Sure. Alex it is."

"Hey, Tony, how do you know my dad again?"

"He just comes up to Stark Tower every now and then to work on some computer stuff with me. He's quite the computer genius in my opinion. I like having him around to bounce ideas off of."

Alex nodded and smiled at the thought of her father. "I want to go home, Tony." She looked up at him, his eyes full of sympathy for her.

"I know, kiddo. I'll try to arrange something." And with that he was off towards Fury's office.

Just a week later, she was on a plane home to Virginia. She landed at Dulles Airport and was greeted with a limo and sparkling cider. _Tony, _she thought with a smile as she slid into the fancy car. She rode alone for three hours until all she could see for miles around was farmland and rolling green hills. Home.

The car arrived in front of her home soon after and she didn't even wait for it to stop before she jumped from the car. She ran to the porch and burst through the front door.

"Mom!" she called from the foyer. Alex took the steps two at a time up to her parents' room. "Mom! I'm home!" No answer. _Hmm. Maybe she's at work._

Alex came back down the steps and rounded the corner into the living room where she stopped dead in her tracks. A man with a familiar face was sitting on her couch, seemingly waiting for her.

"Why, hello there," he said.

"Hi," she said shyly, thinking the word sounded silly in this situation. The man only stared at her for a moment before standing, walking to her, and stopping too close for her comfort. Alex avoided his stare. He dragged his cold fingers down her arm.

"Alexandra," he whispered. "You are quite an elusive girl." His face was close to hers. Alex's eyes were wide. She recognized this man's black hair and emerald-green cape. He continued, "I've been looking for you for quite some time now. I knew you would come home eventually."

"Where's my mom?"

"Your mother is safe, I assure you. It is you that I seek." She didn't understand.

"Answer the question," she demanded. "Where is she?"

"Be wary of your tone when addressing me," he warned, standing up tall. "Your mother has not been here since I've resided here." Alex was confused. She turned to go consult the kitchen calendar on the wall and read the word "vacation" written in Sarah's handwriting across seven days. This would be day five of her vacation. Alex exhaled, deeply relieved that her mother was safe somewhere in the world, oblivious to the imminent danger her daughter faced now.

Loki snuck up behind her and leaned down to speak quietly in her ear. "It took months for me to gain the trust of my guards, but once I did it was easy to escape." Now Alex was sure who he was.

"Loki," she whispered. He seemed to relish the sound of his own name, smiling as he circled her slowly.

"Correct, my dear. I gathered a small group of Asgardian rebels and we attacked, going for the future of the so-called Avengers, the young ones." He was pacing back and forth in her kitchen. "I watched as you fell from the aircraft, and I watched as you should have hit the water. I knew at that moment there was something about you, something I wanted. A strong power similar to mine, like magic." His eyes glittered at the word. "I want you by my side as I redeem myself for the misfortunes of before."

Alex looked up, stunned. If this man thought she would go willingly, he was so wrong. She raised her arms and tried to move the air, but conjured nothing more than a slight breeze. Alex was emotionally drained and scared. She froze.

Loki laughed. "Weak." He strode across the room to roughly pick her up by the waist and she was quickly unconscious in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for reading! This next chapter might be a little more mature. Viewer discretion advised from this chapter onward. **

Alex awoke a while later in a small bed in a tiny room she didn't recognize. The bedding was simple and the walls were bare. Only one tiny window was letting in dim light. She sat up quickly and began to assess her situation. _Okay. I'm alive, I think. A mad man wants me to be his sidekick while he takes over the world. I'm in a room I don't recognize. Nobody knows where I am. Great._

"Ah, you are awake." The voice startled Alex. Loki strode into the room.

"Where am I?" She asked with more ferocity than she expected.

"A house on the outskirts of the city," he answered. "Remaining in your own home would have proven unwise. This family was clearly none too happy about the matter, but that was an easy problem to solve." An evil smirk crossed his face and Alex felt sick. "Now we hone your skills."

"I'm not cooperating with you," Alex argued back, unhappy with the way her voice wavered with her lack of confidence.

"You will do as I say."

"No, I won't!"

"You dare defy me, child? A god?" he shouted at her, startling her again.

Alex tensed up and spoke quietly to him. "I would rather die than help you do anything."

In an instant, he was standing over her. "I can arrange that." He slapped her hard and she fell out of the bed onto the floor. He walked away to leave her with her thoughts. She began to cry again. _Stop crying! _she thought. _That's not going to help you at all! Pull yourself together!_ She stood up and rubbed her reddened cheek. It burned.

"And I'm not a child!" she half-shouted back though he was already gone. She went to the window to figure out where she was and was shocked and confused to see two moons hovering over her. She gazed out into fields that reminded her of her home, but was confident in the fact that she was very, very far from Virginia.

Alex spent the next week alone with Loki in the house. No one came for her. She had been forced to serve Loki, which she found demeaning. Her feminist tendencies were raging inside her. She never spoke to him, but only served him his food and left the room.

He often tried to get her to use her power, but she simply refused, ignoring him, not even making eye contact. Loki was growing extremely frustrated until one day he snapped.

"I do not have the time or the patience for your sheer insolence!" he screamed at her. Finally, Alex looked up into his eyes and shrugged apathetically. He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her across the room. She hit the floor and simply rolled lifelessly to a stop where she lay there waiting to die, but Loki ordered her to stand up. She ignored him yet again. He grabbed her by her long hair and hoisted her into a standing position. She winced at the pain in her scalp, grasping at his hand entangled against the nape of her neck. Loki leaned in very close to her. She was disgusted as his body pressed into hers, and she felt his cold face on hers as he whispered in her ear.

"I will find and kill every last person you care most deeply for." His voice was quiet but stern. He enunciated every last syllable. "I will drag them here so you can watch as I rip their lives away from them." Alex began to tremble at the thought of her mother, her sister, her father, her new friends. She did not care if she died, but she cared immensely about those around her.

"Fine," she finally whispered back. "Fine, I'll do what you want."

Loki pulled away slightly, staring deeply into her green eyes. "Good."

Alex tried her hardest to conjure her powers for Loki simply to appease him, but she was too stressed to concentrate.

"I can't," she whispered after another failed attempt at moving the air around her. She felt incredibly stupid.

"You are worthless," he seethed at her. She was used to the abuse. It reminded her of the girls in her high school who often said the same thing. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Try again!" he ordered.

"No, I have another idea," she stated assertively. Loki fumed at her aggressive tone, but watched as Alex walked away, through the house and into the back yard to find a small pond she had been eyeing since the first day there. Loki simply followed, waiting patiently to see what happened next.

Alex stepped to the edge of the pool and closed her eyes. She raised her hands and concentrated hard on moving the water. Nothing. She tensed her muscles. Still nothing. Loki watched until he became too impatient.

Suddenly Alex felt a hard shove and was under the water, Loki's hands on her shoulders. Alex grasped at him in an attempt to pull her face above the water. It was no use. He was so much stronger than her, and she was going to drown. Alex kicked her feet furiously. She saw his angry face distorted from under the murky water and gasped for air but found only pond water filling her mouth. She sputtered and panicked and raised her arms to find him again, pulling on him to try to raise her head above the water. Sadness raced through her as she realized he was killing her. _I guess he's finally had enough of my games _she thought, fully prepared to die.

She relaxed and closed her eyes, letting her arms fall by her sides. _No, you can't give up!_ She fought with herself. _Stay alive! You haven't been through all this just to die._ Alex opened her eyes and forcefully raised her arms out of the water once more. She felt the water around her surge upwards into Loki's face, drenching him. He let her go, and the water gently raised her up out of the pond. Her bare feet softly met the muddy earth watching Loki sputter for air on the ground. Alex liked the way that looked.

"So you manipulate water as well," Loki stammered. "How very interesting." Alex was surprised that he wasn't angry with her. "What is your trigger?" he wondered out loud, his index finger tapping his chin in thought.

"I think I've figured that out," Alex replied. "The air only works when I'm startled. The water didn't work until I was sad. The fire I'm not so sure about."

"Fire," Loki stated. Alex quickly remembered that he had only witnessed her controlling the air as she fell from the helicarrier months ago. He hadn't seen her move water or fire, and she quickly regretted telling him or showing him anything at all. "I am quite intrigued" he continued. Loki, looking pensive, stood up and returned to the house, dripping wet. As he walked, he removed layers of his armor until his wet clothes were a heap on the floor and he was left with just his trousers. Alex couldn't help but notice his body was more muscular than she previously assumed.

Loki lit the fire place with a flick of his wrist and walked over to her slowly. He grasped the collar of her wet shirt and quickly ripped it apart. She gasped, embarrassed by her sudden exposure.

"Stop," she demanded shyly, staring hard at the floor. He continued. He ran his hands over her body in ways that disgusted her. She questioned why he was showing such sudden attention to her in this way and longed to run from his icy touch but was frozen with fear and confusion.

Loki leaned down and kissed her neck gently. Alex was frozen in place, not sure what was happening or why. His hands found her chest. "Stop, please." She wiggled away from him, but his strength overpowered her, pushing her down onto the couch. He kissed her hard, but she fought back, biting his lip. He slapped her, but then kissed her again. Alex began to writhe under him in an attempt to escape. Loki was too strong. She fought back with a barrage of punches to his arms and back, but he only chuckled malevolently in her ear.

"Stop!" she screamed between rough kisses. Loki continued running his hands over parts of her body that had never been touched by a man, making her sick to her stomach and frustrated at her weakness under him. Alex felt a rage boiling in her blood. Loki's mouth was on her chest when she simply couldn't stand it any longer. She screamed at him, "I said stop!" Alex mustered all her strength to wiggle one arm free from his grasp and motioned to the fire in the fire place, beckoning it to her. A flame leapt from the hearth, following her hand until it licked Loki's back. He arched back in pain, but smirked down at her.

"Just as I suspected!" he exclaimed as he cringed again at the burns. "Sadness is to water as anger is to fire!" Finally, when he could no longer stand it, he rolled off of her and onto the floor. Alex, being nonviolent, stopped the onslaught of fire. She wanted to kill him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Loki lay on his singed back for a moment, laughing maniacally. Alex leapt from the couch, stepped over him, and ran to her room locking the door behind her as if that would stop him. She crumpled to the floor and cried. She had never been touched like he touched her. She was angry at him. Furious. But she was disappointed in herself for knowing that she could have liked the attention from him if he wasn't so rude otherwise. Something in the way he touched her made her breathless, though she couldn't decide if it was fear or simply a man touching her.

Alex stayed locked in her room for the remainder of the night. She salvaged new clothes from the closet but felt bad taking them from a presumably dead girl. She was disappointed to find that all this other girl had were plain dresses. No t-shirts or jeans. Regardless of this girl's feminine style, Alex imagined that she and the girl could have been friends had all this chaos not entered Alex's life. She felt massively guilty for the deaths of so many people. This family. The others on the helicarrier. She wondered why she continued to survive things while others around her died.

Sleep did not come easy that night. The house was eerily quiet as if Loki had left altogether. Alex didn't want to press her luck and go looking around in case he was simply being very quiet. She stared at the ceiling until her eyelids became heavy and nightmares of falling, burning, drowning, and dying crept into her mind.


	6. Chapter 6: Njia

**So I decided to rewrite this chapter because I decided all that sex was quite superfluous really. It didn't add to the story in any important way. So here's the same scene toned down quite a bit. The M-rated scene can be found elsewhere titled "Alexandra Ch 6 One Shot." Thanks!**

Loki moved silently through the palace halls as womanly as he knew how because he was using his magic to disguise himself as a female palace worker. He swung his hips believably as he passed two guards and smiled seductively with full, feminine lips. His long black hair brushed his waist as he turned another corner into a hallway lined with small bedrooms for the palace servants. He scurried to the last room on the left and turned the handle, nearly leaping into the room.

"Njia," he whispered into the dark as he closed the door behind him, his feminine voice sounding bizarre to his ear.

A small blond woman crept out from the bathroom area and sauntered over to Loki. He quickly changed back to his normal male form and greeted her with a rough kiss. She returned the affection just as roughly, biting his lower lip and molding her body against his. Loki entangled one hand in her blond hair and the other rested on her hip. He tasted her kisses as his tongue ran slowly over her bottom lip. Her hands began dropping from his chest to his waist and finally to his groin where she attempted to unbuckle his belt, but he pulled away.

"Darling, we have business to discuss first," he whispered.

"No, this first," she replied playfully.

"Njia, no." He stepped away from her and began lighting candles on the dresser with a snap of his fingers.

"You are never any fun," she snapped at him quietly.

"Did you not enjoy my company just last week? I have the marks on my shoulders to prove otherwise." She glared at him in the candlelight.

"Just this once, let us begin our night not with talk of rebellion and domination, but with me calming you. I can feel the tension in your shoulders," she told him as she ran her hands sensually up his back to his shoulders. He shivered at the gentle touch of her fingers, and he turned to face her.

Njia's eyes were a piercing gray and her facial features were sharp but beautiful. Loki admired her beauty only a moment before stepping around her and moving across the room.

"Tell me," Loki pleaded. "What are they saying about me? The rebels?"

"Let us play a game," Njia said as she strode seductively to him again, placing her hands on his chest and tilting her head up to look at him. "We can discuss this business while I have my fun. We'll see how long you want to talk."

Loki smirked, feeling his trousers tighten against his groin. "You are insatiable, woman." He dragged a cold finger gently down her jawline, signaling to Njia that he, too, wanted to play, but instead walked away from her, the sting of rejection forcing a disgruntled huff from Njia.

"What are they saying among the servants?" he asked, flustered by her proposition. Njia kept space between them, knowing not to push him any further on the matter.

"There are more people on Asgard who side with you than we expected."

"Good," Loki replied, spinning on his heels and stomping back to face her, their noses almost touching as he looked down into her eyes. Njia, not quite sure why he was suddenly so close, kept her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Do they have reservations about my leadership?" Loki's cool breath brushed her face softly and Njia's own voice hitched slightly in her throat, her heart racing as she stared longingly into his green eyes.

"Some, yes. They are unsure of your…mental stability." She broke their gaze as she answered, looking nervously down at her feet fearing violent repercussions for her blatant honesty.

Loki only snickered slightly and replied, "Sometimes I myself am unsure of that, Darling." Njia brought her eyes back up to meet his gaze only to find him leaning in to kiss her gently, but Njia insisted on getting what she wanted. She kissed back with such ferocity, taking Loki by surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his while Loki ran his hands over her curves. Njia pushed against him until he took a step back towards the bed, then another and another until his knees buckled against the mattress and he found himself sitting in front of her.

Njia straddled his lap and continued her sensual attack, trailing kisses along his jawline and down his neck. She slid down between his legs and suddenly Loki came to his senses.

"Ah, you are tricky, Njia," he spoke calmly as she struggled with his belt. He moved swiftly to grab her wrists and leaned down to her level. "You are distracting me from important matters." He pushed her away and rose from the bed, adjusting himself so as to hide his erection.

"Not intentionally, I assure you," she explained, getting to her feet. "I simply want to relieve you of your afflictions."

"And I assure _you_, I have no afflictions." Loki almost spat the word at her, angry that he nearly fell for her tricks. "Weeks have passed and I feel as though I've made little progress."

"Does she trust you?" Njia asked. "Have you attempted to forge a friendship?"

"That girl is weak and stupid," he replied. "How could I even pretend to befriend her when she frustrates me so?" He clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing the room.

"She is the key. You said so yourself, Loki, that she is powerful. She carries great potential."

"I am beginning to wonder if I was mistaken," he mumbled under his breath, turning to face Njia. "How many people would you estimate are prepared to fight by my side?"

Njia thought for a moment, seeming to do some math in her head. "Perhaps a thousand or so."

"And how do you know?"

"We have a hand signal. To anyone loyal to Thor, I look to be simply scratching an itch on the inside of my wrist. But those whose loyalties lie with you return the modest gesture," she explained, showing him the signal. "I speak with many of the maids and concubines in secret. They tell me how many signals were returned to them each day and how many of their husbands' signals were reciprocated as well. Loki, you have more followers here than you could have ever imagined. People see that Thor is unintelligent, lumbering down the halls and drinking himself into a stupor because he believes himself successful in stopping your reign over Midgard."

"Ha!" Loki exclaimed. "That oaf still has not realized a projection remains in my prison cell?"

"The guards there that released you initially have him fully convinced you are still there," Njia explained.

Loki grinned fully, pleased with the work she had done. "Njia, you have been ever so helpful."

"Anything for you, my Lord." The sound of being called a Lord sent a fire through Loki and he attacked her with a deep kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lifted her onto the dresser and moved between her legs. Loki rewarded her for her good work in every way she craved before leaving her just as abruptly as he had arrived.


	7. Chapter 7: Fear

**This chapter was tough to write. Feedback would be great. Thanks! And Happy New Year!**

Alex spent the morning in bed waiting for Loki to seek her out, but he never came. She thought about her mother, reminiscing on her euphonic laugh, warm hugs, and great advice. Her mother was her best friend, always open to talk about anything and everything. Alex cried softly into her pillow, wishing she could be where ever her mother was.

That afternoon, Alex finally became hungry and went looking for food in the kitchen. As Alex had suspected the night before, Loki was nowhere to be found. She thought for a moment about running. Alex walked to the front of the house and peeked through the heavy, brown curtains. Nothing but farmland for miles in each direction but a city loomed far off on the horizon. Could she run that distance?

She looked down at her bare feet and wiggled her toes. Alex turned suddenly and took the steps two at a time to her room where she slipped on her sneakers and ran back downstairs. She had made her decision. She reached the door, ripped it open, and leapt outside onto the porch where she hit something hard and fell back.

"To where might you be going today, Alexandra?" Loki asked, hands behind his back and looking down at her, amused. The collision did not faze him at all, but Alex still hadn't recovered. The breath knocked from her lungs, she lay in a heap at his feet gasping for air.

"Just going for a run right quick," she struggled to squeak out once she regained composure. "Gotta stay fit." Alex knew her excuse was extremely flimsy.

"You believe me to be a fool, girl?" Loki grabbed her by the collar of her dress and lifted her onto her feet. Expecting to be physically reprimanded, Alex prepared for the worst, but Loki took a very deep breath and turned her around gently, ushering her back into the house. He kept one hand on her lower back until they reached the living room where both of them sat down on opposite couches. Alex never made eye contact with him, nervous for the punishment she would receive.

But none came. They sat there in silence until Alex felt a pang in her stomach, realizing that she never ate anything. She rose slowly from the couch and went to the kitchen perusing the pantry. She grabbed a handful of carrot sticks she had chopped the day before and returned to the living room. Loki watched her intently. Something about his demeanor was different but Alex couldn't put her finger on it.

"So," she began bravely, dying to fill the silence, "what's up?" Loki looked confused and glanced upwards.

"Is this some kind of bizarre mortal witticism?" he asked her. She furrowed her brow and gave a sort of half grin at his confusion.

"Um, no. It's a kind of a way to say 'how are you' I guess."

"You care for my well-being?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his fingers together. She hadn't seen him so relaxed, but his question raised the hair on her arms. Did she care about his well-being? She hesitated.

"No," she turned away from him. "I just… What I was trying to say was-"

"It seems our time together has forged a bond between us," Loki interrupted. He leaned back again, placing his ankle on the opposite knee and resting his chin in his hand, smirking at her. His arrogance made her angry. "I realize I have not been entirely hospitable to you, Dear." He watched her from under his furrowed brow, a tiny smirk playing on his lips. Alex sat rigidly upright, silent, confused, angry. He continued, "If we are to work cohesively together, we should be friends. Do you agree?" Loki cocked his head to the left as he asked his question.

Alex, extremely taken aback by Loki's offer of peace, simply sat staring back at him. She knew he was up to something. He could never be trusted.

"What are you getting at?" she asked with a hiss of aggression. "I'm not stupid."

"No, of course not, Dear," he replied kindly. "I simply realize that you deserve better." Loki reached across the space between them and caressed her hand gently. "And I know you care for me as well."

"Let's get one thing straight," Alex began confidently, pulling her hand away. "We are not working together. I am being held here against my will and you are a psychopath."

Loki, leaned back into his seat, smirking, and nodded his head in agreement. "Perceptive. I like you."

"Ew, stop."

"You have heart and a certain boldness about you which I never expected." His gaze bore into hers but she didn't break eye contact.

"You're damn right." Alex rose up and made her way to the stairs, waving her hand angrily behind her towards the fireplace. The small fire suddenly raged and intense heat licked her cheek, but as she left the room, the fire returned to its more humble flame.

She slammed the door of her bedroom, angry at his audacity to offer some sort of twisted companionship. She lay in bed for a few hours pondering questions about friendship, Loki's intentions, and how much longer she would have to endure his mind games.

The sun was just beginning to set with the most miraculous pink hue to the sky as Alex crept downstairs to find something for dinner but was met with a shortage of food in the kitchen.

"Hungry, Darling?" Alex nearly leapt out of her skin as Loki spoke far too closely to her ear.

"Please don't sneak up on me like that!" she yelled.

"I'll be sure to tread with heavier footsteps from now on." Loki stepped back, sensing her apprehension. "I can provide more to eat if necessary."

"Yeah, kind of necessary," she replied, grabbing the last old carrot and hesitantly taking a small, rubbery bite. "Oh, what I would give for French fries." She was starving but didn't want Loki to know just how hungry she really was.

Loki followed her into the living room and quickly stepped into her path before Alex could retreat back to her bedroom.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked with far too much attitude. She noticed Loki's jaw clench as he took a long deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes momentarily.

"Alexandra, you are quite rude."

"Oh, I'm rude? You haven't been a Georgia peach either." Her metaphor went over his head but he ignored it.

"What can I do to make your stay here more comfortable for you?" The question shocked her.

"Take me home," she said with a mouth full of old carrot. "That's what you can do."

"Eventually, I will," he replied calmly as Alex choked.

"So you're just going to let me go when we're done here?" she asked through a mouthful of old carrot. "Yeah, right. If that's true, you're the worst kidnapper ever."

"I resent that term. I simply want to help you unlock your true potential," he replied with a smirk. "Like a teacher of sorts."

"I had perfectly adequate teachers at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"No, Darling." Loki spoke calmly, leaning towards her just slightly. "They wanted to train you, turn you into some kind of secret agent. Is that what you truly desire? To be hidden away from the world, always working for someone else? You'll never have the life you so desire. A partner, a family, a career. Do you even know what the S.H.I.E.L.D organization stands for? Do you know what they do? Let me enlighten you." His tone suddenly became dark. "Your Avengers are nothing more than scientific anomalies and average humans with guns. Your man of iron is nothing without his suit. Your Agent Romanoff? Do you know how much blood she's spilled with her own bare hands? And your green monster. An aberration."

"And your brother, the God of Thunder," Alex interrupted. Loki tensed marginally. "In case you forgot, they won the Battle of New York."

"I let them!" Loki shouted, but quickly regained his composure.

"That's what the loser always says." Alex tried to step around him, but he stepped with her.

"I did not lead an attack on Midgard for my benefit," Loki began calmly. "I have little care for your meaningless realm."

"Then what was the point?!" Alex threw her arms up in frustration.

"I did what had to be done. There are forces in this universe more powerful than your small mind can fathom. Your world may think me a villain, but I saved your realm from a fate worse than my rule."

"You are not making any sense to me," Alex admitted quietly, fearfully.

"My actions were not solely my own." Loki finally broke his intense eye contact and stepped around her back into the living room. Alex followed, curious now. "A being not from any of the nine realms had influence through an object called the tesseract."

"Yeah, I've heard of it," she replied as she nestled onto the couch. Loki paced in front of her.

"I made a deal with a powerful force that wanted the tesseract. That kind of power in the wrong hands would be devastating to the entire universe. I could not let that happen."

"How heroic…" she replied quite sarcastically under her breath.

"I was never going to allow the tesseract to fall into the hands of Than-," Loki choked on the name. "To fall into the wrong hands. But I had to appear to put forth some effort to obtain it. I could have simply fallen to Midgard, taken the tesseract, and returned to him, but I bargained to use the power of the tesseract to bring Midgard under my rule, at which point I was to give the tesseract to the one who desired it. I allowed myself to be defeated purposely so as to be sure the tesseract found its way safely to Asgard rather than to him. I saved your realm from certain eventual destruction. Knocking your precious Avengers around in the process was just a bit of fun really."

"Sounds kind of like your scared of this guy."

"Not scared. No. Aware. I am aware of his desires and his plans for us all." Loki's shoulders were tense and his brow furrowed as he finally sat down in the chair across from Alex, still not making eye contact.

"So I'm supposed to believe you killed hundreds of people and destroyed one of the most powerful cities in the world to save us all?"

"Well, when you say it like that-"

"How am I supposed to trust anything you say at all?" Alex was on her feet now.

"I suppose your better judgment suggests you should not," he replied quietly.

"So what's the big plan this time? Why are we here?"

Loki sighed deeply. "We are here to prevent Thor, God of Sheer Idiocy, from letting the tesseract or any of the other relics fall into the hands of this powerful force. And you, Darling, are my secret weapon."

"What do you mean?"

"I believe I've divulged enough for now," Loki said as he rose from his chair.

"No, what do you mean I'm a secret weapon?"

"Now if I told you everything, what leverage would I have then?" Loki closed the gap between them in two long strides. Alex tensed under his penetrating gaze. "I assure you, the things I've told you here tonight are true, and I need your help to save our universe." He grazed his fingers gently down her jawline but she didn't flinch away. Instead, she stared up into his eyes searching for signs that he was being truthful. "You have greater potential than you know," he whispered. With that, he retreated upstairs to his small bedroom.

"Cool, no pressure," she said to herself under her breath after he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8: A Gift

Alex rolled peacefully onto her back as the morning sun began to make shadows on the wooden floor. She stretched and yawned and savored the quiet morning hours until something interesting made her stop. The unmistakable scent of fried food was wafting into her bedroom. She sat bolt upright, confused but intrigued. She dressed quickly, crept downstairs, and rounded slowly into the kitchen.

On the small table lay a smorgasbord of Midgardian fast foods ranging from a huge pepperoni pizza and a mountain of French fries to a pyramid of little boxes filled with chicken nuggets and two vanilla milkshakes. Her eyes were wide with surprise and excitement, frozen in place until her hunger took over. She went for the French fries first, shoving a handful into her mouth and quickly following with two chicken nuggets. Alex ate happily for a few minutes before she noticed Loki watching her from across the kitchen. He sat leisurely on the kitchen counter, a smirk on his face.

"Pleased?" he asked. She only nodded in return as she reached for a slice of pizza. "I do not understand why Midgardians choose to ingest such fair designed to shorten already short lifespans."

Alex swallowed a mouthful of food. "I always say I'd rather be fat and happy than skinny and hungry."

"But you are not large by any meaning of the word."

Alex blushed as she realized his eyes were taking in her slight frame. She ignored him and continued her feast.

"May I try a bit?" he asked moving to join her at the small kitchen table. Alex nodded. Loki picked up a French fry and examined it closely. "Was this a vegetable at one time?"

"Potato."

"Ah." He bit into it hesitantly. Then, a broad smile crossed his face and he reached for another. "Good!" He reached for a chicken nugget but did not find that to be as pleasing. "What is this meat? Is this meant to be fowl? A farce, I tell you!"

"Relax!" she replied, giggling at his distaste. "Try some pizza."

Loki slowly picked up a slice, copying the way Alex was holding hers and taking a bite. "Yes, I find this delectable. Perhaps I was quick to judge Midgardian fair."

"No, you're right. It's gonna kill me some day but whatever."

They ate in silence for a few more moments. Alex was hunched over the table shoveling food into her mouth while Loki sat regally eating one French fry at a time and managing to make a slice of pizza look like it was worth a million dollars in his hands. 

"A bit cliché, don't you think?" Alex finally asked through a mouthful of French fries. "The whole 'help me save the universe' speech yesterday?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Loki replied.

"Never mind. Thanks for breakfast, by the way," she said, milkshake in hand.

"Certainly, Dear."

The next week was spent in close contact with Loki. Alex was sure he was leaving her alone during the day, because the house was oddly quiet most of the time, but he came back each evening and sought her company. He spoke kindly, smiling a charming smile at every opportunity. He told her of his childhood, showed her tricks and magic that delighted her, and listened as she told happy stories of her family.

During their conversations, Alex was quite surprised to find that they had some things in common. Loki spent most of his adult life striving to be his brother's equal. Alex could relate for Kate was always smarter, faster, stronger, prettier, and generally excelled at anything she put her mind to. Loki nor Alex were ever particularly popular among their peers, often bullied and painfully mocked. Loki enjoyed art and music. Alex was in the band in school and was an avid photographer. Alex told Loki about her family and how they kept her in the dark about her powers. Loki reciprocated by explaining how he learned of his true parentage. Alex admitted his family issues were a little heavier than hers.

But the similarities stopped there for the most part. Loki, powerful and cunning, was able to exact revenge on those he thought had wronged him and had attempted to do so not long ago, leading to his fall into the abyss. Alex could not relate to his anger. She never felt like she needed to get back at anyone. She understood that some children bully others, and she did not hold anger towards those children. Additionally, she felt that her parents loved her unconditionally as any good parents love their children and did what they did in order to protect her. All in all, she knew her life had actually been quite easy compared to some others. Loki could not see her point and became frustrated when he could not convince her that she should be angry. Alex pitied him, feeling that it must be exhausting to be so full of rage constantly.

They spent a few hours each evening talking and practicing her craft, beginning each session with brief meditation. At first, Alex thought it was strange but quickly realized that it helped her govern her emotions, accessing memories that could provide the right amount of sadness or anger necessary for the task at hand. She quickly learned to manipulate the water in the pond behind the house at her will, creating shapes that rose gracefully from the surface. Manipulating the fire in the hearth proved more challenging. Alex struggled to find anything that made her angry enough at will to conjure more than a small flicker. She found that she needed to be provoked in order to achieve the rage she sought, but Loki's once angering touch now had more of a calming effect on her.

Even in her failures, Loki was kind and supportive yet stern. He coached her through the meditation and helped her reach memories she could use, but once she fell into deep concentration, he backed off, staying silent until she spoke first.

Alex's days were spent practicing alone and trying to work through her puzzling thoughts. Loki didn't seem so bad, but she knew he had done terrible things in the past. Alex was so confused but was finding she was more comfortable and less fearful of him. However, she knew better than to trust him fully.

"Good day, Alexandra," he greeted her kindly one evening as she lay on the couch tossing a cup into the air over her face.

Loki sat down across from her in a chair and watched her.

"Hi," she replied simply. "Where do you go every day?"

"I am conducting some business during the day," he replied matter-of-factly. "None of your concern, Dear."

"Maybe if you tell me the whole plan," she spoke calmly, "I'll trust you more."

Loki smirked and rested his elbows on his knees. "You don't trust me yet? And I've already told you. You and I are going to prevent the destruction of the universe."

"That's rather vague."

"Leverage, Darling."

Alex was still unclear but knew Loki wasn't going to give away anymore. She sat up to meet his gaze. "People are going to get hurt, aren't they?"

Loki shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Means to an end."

"Just like New York?"

"Hopefully, things won't be so messy this time." Alex didn't like how nonchalantly he spoke of death and destruction. She sat silently for a moment, staring down at her sneakers.

"You know, you could be so happy if you just let it all go," she suggested.

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, just let it all go. People find out they're adopted all the time where I come from. People get bullied. Things happen in life that don't seem fair sometimes, but you have to just roll with the punches." He looked slightly confused at her metaphor and she corrected, "You have to just accept it sometimes and make the best of a bad situation. If everyone sought revenge on every person who ever wronged them, then everything would be chaos!"

Loki looked rather stunned at first at her suggestion, but smirked slightly. "I never sought revenge for anything. When Thor was banished to Midgard, I saw an opportunity to make decisions that could finally find favor in Odin's eyes. My attack on Midgard a short time later was not revenge either. I've explained that to you. I do nothing for revenge. Outright revenge is beneath me. I intend to seek my revenge through showing Thor how ignorant he is to the forces of the universe." Loki broke his stare and looked away. He closed his eyes, and Alex could swear she saw his throat hitch just slightly.

She waited silently as Loki pulled himself together and rose from the chair to leave the room, stopping momentarily to lay a hand tenderly on Alex's shoulder. "You'll make a marvelous queen if you so wish."

"Ew, no." She shuddered and made a rather childish face as if she were gagging. Loki ignored it and left her alone on the couch. Alex smiled slightly at his touch, grazing her fingers over the spot his hand had just vacated, but quickly shook the warm feeling from her shoulders.


End file.
